Yakuza (I just love that word)

A staple of 90’s novels that dealt with the Japanese in any way, particularly cyberpunk fiction, was the tattooed and suit-wearing Yakuza ganster. While they’ve been replaced in American fiction by other bogeymen like Russian mobsters and of course Islamic terrorists, the real Yakuza are apparently still going strong in Japan, despite law enforcement crackdowns.

One woman, a daughter of a Yakuza boss and former gangster herself, has published a new book (at least new in English) about the gangs, titled Yakuza Moon. I for one am very interested in a better look at what the Yakuza are really like today.